UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State University Libraries is hosting a new quarterly book club. Its inaugural selection is “The Hidden Life of Life” by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, published by Penn State University Press, with its discussion and Q&A with the author scheduled for noon to 1:30 p.m. Eastern time on Thursday, Aug. 20, via Zoom.
Kendra Boileau, assistant director and editor-in-chief at Penn State University Press, will moderate.
An anthropologist and best-selling author of both nonfiction and fiction, Elizabeth Marshall Thomas has spent a lifetime observing, thinking and writing about the cultures of animals such as lions, wolves, dogs, deer and humans. In “The Hidden Life of Life,” she provides a “plainspoken, big-picture look at the commonality of life on our planet, from the littlest microbes to the largest lizards.”
Thomas guides readers through the evolution of life, in many of its forms, and points out many of its universal experiences: Single-celled life can learn, plants can communicate, humans aren’t really as special as we think we are. She reminds readers that it doesn’t take a scientist to marvel at the smallest inhabitants of the natural world and their connections to all living things.
More information about “The Hidden Life of Life,” including the table of contents, a sample chapter and an audio interview with Thomas on WGBH Boston Public Radio, is available on the Penn State University Press website. The press is offering a discount of 40% off an entire order when using the code NR18 at psupress.org. The Aug. 20 book club discussion on Zoom requires advance registration online.
The Penn State University Press, founded in 1956, publishes high-quality books, journals and graphic novels of interest to scholars and general readers, with a focus on the humanities and social sciences. The publishing arm of Penn State within the Penn State University Libraries, the press specializes in works related to Penn State, Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic region, as well as scholarship in the fields of art history, medieval studies, Latin American studies, rhetoric and communication, religious studies and graphic medicine. Its current Fall/Winter 2020 catalog is available via PDF.